Hatha Yoga Pradipika
of Svatmarama
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• YOGA BRINGS PLEASURE
• Aphoristic Essence
• 1. BASIC PRINCIPLES
• Prerequisites
YOGA BRINGS PLEASURE
The Hatha Yoga Pradipika of Svatmarama is a text on yoga. Good yoga is one of the pleasures of humankind. What follows is a rendering, aiming at getting across the gist and other helpful thoughts.The Sanskrit word hatha means literally "Union of Force". The teachings of hatha yoga can be used to many purposes. Some learn its body postures and grow to excel in bending and twisting and contorting the body and such things. Others learn likable body postures of hatha yoga for sheer pleasure - maybe to help well-being and to further health also. Both ways are possible.
Hatha yoga has become popular in the West for its slow exercises and the relaxation that correctly done postures make real. One recent estimate is that over 20 million Americans have been instructed in some yoga form or other, and hatha yoga is mainstream. It has been treasured by many in Europe too over the past decades.
Hatha yoga comprises comprises postures, breathing exercises (called pranayama), and meditation. Adepts may do astonishing feats. Some are documented in research journals to the degree that medical expertise recommend yoga for effects they may bring.
An Enjoyable Study and an Enjoyable Practice
Hatha yoga helps many to overcome some obstacles and hindrances to great all-round development relating to body, mind, and spirit. Up to remarkable changes are wont to take place through the practice of hatha yoga, in the practitioner's body, mind and self. And through delicate practice, consciousness may ascend or reach inwards towards the Self.Man can enjoy pleasures and seek to get it better, be more free in suitable ways. Man's mind is able to discriminate, select, and harbour desires that help one onward in life.
There is knowledge that relates to matters of the world, and knowledge of the within, where the Self resides. Through yoga training these basic forms of knowledge - relating to outer garbs and inner, subtle phenomena - may get a wonderfully balanced enveloping.
Aims of Life and Hatha
Four solid, general means to better living are the handed-over principles of duty (dharma), wealth (artha), desires (kama) and freedom (moksha). The first three - fulfilling needed duties and doing what seems right; holding different levels of wealth enough; and fit pleasures- are important for all. However, the definitions of yoga terms is often not clear-cut. You will have to assess old meanings on your own too. It may be toilsome. But the main point is that you have to be judicious on your own behalf at least. Maturity of intelligence is essential for gaining health and harmony. Hatha yoga practices are designed to bring about much and great harmony and can assist in overcoming many sorts of afflictions.One talks of three large groups of afflictions: physical, mental and spiritual. Physical and organic diseases are caused by one or more imbalances that disturb a proper, balanced functioning. Some afflictions may come from self-abuse, for example from smoking and drinking coffee for long - Genetic and allergic diseases are said to arise from one's past deeds. Misfortunes may be added.
Yoga means to unite, to join, and so on. If you encounter unfamiliar and dubious words in this book, try our yoga dictionary along with the text.
Hatha Yoga
Hatha yoga may assist relaxation and foster better well-being, and increase one's sense of subjective freedom.The word hatha is composed of two syllables: ha and tha.
- Ha stands for the seer, the Self, the soul (purusa), and for the sun (Surya) and the inbreath (prana).
- Tha represents nature (prakriti), consciousness (citta), the moon (chandra) and the outbreath (apana).
Hatha vidya (knowledge) was set down in the Hatha yoga pradipika by Yogi Svatmarama who lived between the 1100s and 1400s, it is thought. Svatmarama was a part of a line of teachers. The yoga described by Svatmarama is akin to and incorporates yoga parts from a work by Patanjali - both may be said to codify long-established theory and practice in quite practical and technical handbooks.
Svatmarama's treatise also incorporated ideas from the Yoga Upanisads, the Puranas, the Bhagavad Gita and other scriptures.
The Hatha Yoga Pradipika
The Hatha yoga pradipika gives practical guidelines. And at the end we are told that "all hatha practices serve only for the attainment of raja yoga". Raja yoga is another term with many meanings. The difference between raja and hatha yoga may be a matter of placing the focus only. (4:103).The work is divided into four parts.
- The first deals in moral, and suggests yamas (restraints on behaviour), niyamas (observances), asanas (posture) and food.
- The second describes pranayama (control or restraint of energy), and internal "cleansing" practices.
- The third deals with mudras (seals), bandhas (locks), the nadis (channels of energy through which prana flows) and the kundalini power.
- The fourth expounds pratyahara (withdrawal of the senses), dharana (concentration), dhyana (meditation), and samadhi (absorption).
Body postures, Asanas
The text begins with asanas as the first step in hatha yoga, and hatha-yoga is referred to as six-limbed yoga. But hatha yoga does not omit the two first "limbs" (parts) of Patanjali yoga, namely yamas and niyamas. They are don'ts and do's.- The don'ts: Non-violence, truthfulness, non-covetousness, continence, forbearance, fortitude, compassion, straightforwardness, moderation in food and cleanliness.
- The do's: Zeal in yoga, contentment, faith, charity, worship of God, study of spiritual scriptures, modesty, discriminative power of mind, prayers and rituals.
There are many asanas, since the muscles and joints can be flexed, extended and rotated in lots of ways. The Pradipika goes into sixteen asanas. There are thirty-two in the Gheranda Samhita. In fact, yogis came up with scores of asanas. Through practice the blood flow may improve, the hormone system should be balanced, the nervous system stimulated, and so on.
Patanjali states that perfection in asanas brings concord between body, mind and soul. What is that 'perfection'? Just seek to do your postures well enough. That will do. And what is 'well enough'? Judge it yourself, but let handy and gentle yoga instructors help you toward it. That could help you much.
The Art of Breathing, Pranayama
Pranayama means control or careful restraint of the breath. According to Svatmarama, "when the breath is calmed, the mind too will be still." (2:2)Many people today think that any comfortable sitting asana is good enough for pranayama practice, but Svatmarama says that "By faulty pranayama practice the yogi invites all kinds of ailments." (2:16) All kinds? Hardly. Results - be they good or bad or in between - depend on what sort of breathing exercise is used too, how much and intensely, and how often.
Bright consciousness (Mind) is the instrument of the Self, and yoga postures helps mind toward a "uniform ado", so to speak. Self-realisation may not be understood very well until it is experienced, so it is sound enough not to waste words about telling of it and not bothering about how it is like either.
Life force, Vital Energy, Ado, or Prana
Life-force is a term that seeks to translate the prana idea. In Indian thinking, the word prana covers many sorts of "life-breaths", or pranas, inside. One such minor prana is responsible for hiccups, for example. Another prana outlet goads breathing out, another goads breathing in, and so on.The vital energy and oxygen in the air is absorbed and prana generated from air. Sunlight is an excellent source of vitality, yogis hold. It is also held that prana can and should be absorbed from food and particular inward funnels. One such funnel lies in the area of the medulla oblongata. There are some more that are presented in works on yoga, and in acupuncture works too.
It boils down to: You can increase your vitality by prana, and yoga postures help in spreading it evenly over the body too. Some postures may help to bring more vitality into organs or areas where there is a lack of it. That is the area of yoga postures for health. There are books about it.
Yogi teachings also tell that vitality can be stored in the nervous system or the vortexes that yoga teachings say lie close by the large brain and spine. Such stored vitality (prana) can be drawn on and discharged as needs be, too, the teaching goes.
Svatmarama explains various types of pranayamas and their effects. He also calls for treating the body and mind with deep understanding, gentleness and lavish compassion. It all goes into the standard counsel of progressing slowly and steadily, not to overdo things, but be safe within the limits of what the body and mind can stand at any time. Carelessness may be paid for dearly. The yogi says that wrong practice of pranayama will actually sap the energy of the practitioner. Watch out if you get weary, in other words. Maybe you are overdoing it, or not attaining a proper balance or harmony of exercises and other elements.
Locks and Seals, Bandhas and Mudras
Bandha means lock and mudra means seal. By locking and sealing apertures or outlets of the body, energy is roused within it, and the mind is thereby helped a bit so it can "ride" or "glide" inward on the surges, on and on to your essence in nirvana-land.Samadhi
Unfathomable bliss is of nirvana, and can be experienced also. Samadhi is a yogic term with many meanings - and there are also different degrees of it in yoga literature.To repeat: Do not worry about what you have not attained. Focus on cosy, all right practice of the best, selected teachings should be good for you.
Consciousness is an aspect of the Self. The breath and mind are said to be in a tandem: The breath and life force (prana) moves and fluctuates along with mind changes too. For example, nervousness and fear may cause shallow breath and a tense mentality, whereas laxness is good for health and harmony.
The yogi trains towards steadiness of body and mind. then the vital energies may more easily glide inward, much as when we fall asleep, but not totally like that. This inward-switching is called pratyahara. Pratyahara needs to be had for dhyana (focus, Zen), and there are degrees of inward-turning too, and symptoms that go along with such attainments.
Union with Brahman can be had through much and deep meditation, many yogis say.
Caution
Svatmarama says that one is to practice with steadfast attention, and one is to avoid such things as being close to fire, cold baths in the early morning, fasting, and much and heavy work". (1.61). He says that yoga cannot be experienced "by wearing yoga clothes, or by talk about yoga, but through tireless practice. Knowing oneself helps toward it, and lessening one's exposure to superfluous company (1:16). And Patanjali says that vigour, keen memory, and great awareness (presence of mind) are keys to success.Svatmarama says that if the consciousness is the seed, hatha yoga is the field. He enjoins the student of yoga to water the field with the help of yogic practice and to avoid and drop what does not help but drags down.
I hope this book will be studied as deserved.
[Based on B K S Iyengar's preface of December 1991]
Aphoristic Essence
Hatha Yoga Pradipika shows, as other yoga works too, that hatha and raja yoga are much similar, if not identical. They can be combined.Accomplished yogis are not dry or dangerous scientists or formalists. and yoga is not a trifling jest if transmitted well enough.
True wisdom lies on many levels and can be expressed in many forms. It helps to know how to deal with life at large and just to master everyday life. Sound and practical experimentation may form part of that everyday life.
But although it is possible, hapless ones despair. And how? By being far away from their own deep source. If we have practically no problems, we may have or find time to get good at our yoga and meditation. It is recommended, and so is going against folly and gross imperfections in ourfellowmen. It is quite an art, and too long overlooked.
Humankind has been given many odd-looking statements and sayings from the gospels. They are listened to for ceremonial and ritual and other shallow purposes, but hardly made use of full well. Most of them are like books that gather dust on our shelves.
One should encourage natural and likable unfoldment and learn to think twice about things told of or put in the mouth of notables from far away and long ago, as the case may be. If Buddha had made all the speeches attributed to him, he would have had to speak day and night for a hundred years, someone has pointed out. He did not do that.
And further, anyone who knows just a smattering of biblical texts will be dismayed to find in them untruths, lots of untruths, and no essential wisdom to go for. That is the plight of contemporary, non-desirable Christianity with its denial-fixated interpretations of agreed-on prejudices, of course.
We may find time and conditions to reflect on this: "Not every guru is a teacher. He (or she) who uncritically trusts the first best saviour and yoga teacher or publicly acclaimed guru - and they are plentiful - may wake up later and see he has wasted his time and efforts. And many novel yoga books are superficial behind a facade of exotic, bizarre or beautiful-looking "stage dolls".
What may be important is to stay fair and maintain sound whole-heartedness throughout. Double-dealing is not quite good enough.
Book learning leads up to some level, more or less as a side effect of the focus needed for study. Libraries are not the essence of learning, it is inner knowledge that you are able to recall and make good use of, after all.
He who has learned long and with sacrifice may talk of the "cruel world" and "hard life." Yes, individuals have their own weaknesses. Good living is better than bad living; use yoga to increase your winning streaks naturally and accomplish better. Building-up helps, and virulence tears down. Take no part in the latter.
There was a guru who might have confounded students. He caught impressions of their virtues and faults by his vibrational (aura) changes, and showed himself as their mind-reader through it. The results of such an ability should be profound, and counts over and above lots of plots and tests. The Amar Swami once said: "Take your reason and look."
Many simple-looking sentences can host a deep or high and essential, masked meaning, even manifold meanings.
Open censure makes the devoted student rebellious. That may be why many a troubled student has foundered.
PART 1: BASIC PRINCIPLES
1: Prerequisites: Taking the Masks Off
Raja yoga sets up goals that many strive to reach - but just how can someone who has not had the experience of enlightenment understand it? Therefore, focus on the training and don't waste your powers of thought.In yoga literature we are told that many siddhas have reached "eternal youth." Many are the tales of yogis who are said to be several hundred years old and look like youths. Some yoga masters may look younger than their grown sons, and said to be no longer subject to the laws of time in our consciousness. Do not bother about them; instead concern yourself with yourself and your own doings.
It has been voiced that "To those who practice yoga, hatha yoga is like the tortoise that supports the world." Good yoga that is balanced and well timed, can help you sustain your own body and work and home, that is.
Taking one's mask off may be called benevolent to oneself, if not to others. Privacy, home life, and sound vacations may be for that, whereas work life often inspires facades and animas (Jungian term). Taking the mask of old goals off yoga should help likewise.
Svatmarama presents hatha vidya (sun-and-moon wisdom) solely for attaining raja yoga. On the way some are lucky enough to get siddhis, yoga powers. Patanjali enumerates eight siddhis among still more miraculous powers. Buddhist sources mentions others in addition, the highest of them is great liberation, nirvana.
One is taught that if someone misuses a siddhi, the misused siddhi strikes back at him and causes him some kind of unpleasantness. Therefore, do not misuse a siddhi, and keep it well guarded. A day may come when you need it. So trust in Providence that has "given" it to you in time, if that is what happens. One does not necessarily have to believe such things. A good yogi will hardly resent polite enough doubts. And the text warns against striving primarily for powers.
Another, deeper purpose of the siddhis is that some of them may serve as signposts and not just roadblocks on the inner way to nirvana-land, or liberation.
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| Literature | Site Search | First Page |
Hat: Svatmarama. Hathayogapradipika. Madras: Adyar, 1972.
Hay: Svatmarama, Yoga-swami. Hatha Yoga Pradipika. London: Aquarian Press, 1992. On-line at lib.ru/URIKOVA/SANTEM/SVATMARAMA/hyp.txt.
Ap: Mieder, Wolfgang (main editor), Stewart A. Kingsbury, and Kelsie E. Harder: A Dictionary of American Proverbs. (Paperback) New York: Oxford University Press, 1996.
Bi: Satyeswarananda, swami, tr. Complete Works of Lahiri Mahasay Vol. II: The Bhagavad Gita Interpretations of Lahiri Mahasay. San Diego: The Sanskrit Classics, 1991.
Ebl: Encyclopaedia Britannica. Encyclopaedia Britannica 2007 Ultimate Reference Suite DVD. London: Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2007.
Iv: Satyeswarananda, swami, tr. Inner Victory: With Lahiri Mahasay's Commentaries. San Diego: The Sanskrit Classics, 1987.
Lsy: Hewitt, James. Lær selv yoga. Copenhagen: Hassing, 1966. (Teach yourself yoga. London: The English Universities Press, 1960).
Ulp: Hewitt, James. Yoga and Meditation. London: Barrie and Jenkins, 1977.
Ysl: Bhattacharya, Jogesh Chandra. Yogiraj Shri Shri Lahiri Mahashaya. Kadamtala, Howrah: Shrigurudham (Ghosh), 1964. On-line read-only text at Yoganiketan, Portland, Mn: [www.yoganiketan.net]. Earlier there: [http://kalama.com/~stebro/Kriya_Library/Yogiraj/title.htm]
Zq: Janakananda, Swami. Yoga, Tantra och Meditation i min vardag. Stockholm: Bonniers, 1975.
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© September 2006, Tormod Kinnes — Last revised here December 2006.